Convertible furniture



2m 19, I J. FREEMAN CONVERTIBLE FURNI TURE Filed Dec/ 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 9 2 INVENTOR JOHN FREEMAN ATTORNEY lama w, 1923, 7 1,459,201

J.FREEMAN CONVERT I BLE FURNITURE Filed Dec. 7, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet INVENTOR JOH N FREEMAN.

ATTORNEY mares stares raranrorricsu;

JOHN FREEMAN, OF NEW FACTURING COMPANY, I

CORPORATION or DELAWARE.

CONVERTIBLE FURNITURE.

Application filed Decembe r 7, 1921.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known thatl, zen of the United bltates, 181st Street, New York Bronx, State of New useful Improvements in urniture; and I do hereby decertain new and QOIlVBltlblG F clare the following JOHN FREEMAN, a citiresiding at 2 East city, inthe county of York, have invented to be a full, clear, and

exact description of the invention, suchas will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to couch beds having relatively supporting. sections collapsible springadapted to be extended to form a double-width bed and to be collapsed to form a couch, partlcularly in reversible couch In my Patent No. 14, 1921, couch beds shown,

but the legs of beds for day and night use.

1,381,293, granted June of this general kind are the extensible section,

being rigidly fastened to the structure, are

unsightly and may tions are collapsed, bed is reversible.

couch bed is reversible, retractible so as to be preferably by pivoting trading position,

them on the cross bars interfere when the secparticularly if the couch Now, whether or njotthe I have made the legs drawn into an unoband connecting them with the mechanism for collapsing and extending the spring-supporting sections, so that the retraction and extension of the legs is automatically controlled by the actuation of the sections, and side the collapsing Irrespective of the improvements so that the legs lie alonglevers when retracted.

this retractible feature, herein also, comprehend means for more rigidly and simply supporting the rear of the extensible. section in extended position, by carried by the. collapsing providing an abutment one section and adapted to engage lever in extended poslt-ion,

preferably at the two ends of the couch bed,

so as to form the into a rigid structure therefor.

two sections when extended between the supports I have found that in collapsible beds of this kind, the two sections can be held securely in collapsed position by a look at the front only, even if the couch bed 18 reversible. So also, by making the lock adjustable, and by properly connecting and arranging the collapsing mechanism, different thicknesses of bedding may tween the sections. closing of the couch be accommodated be- In this way opening and bed is simplified and the ,tively in Serial No. 520,55

need for removing some of the bedding when the sections are tobe collapsed is avoided.

When the couch bed is reversible, the improvements herein also comprehend guiding and restraining means for the reversible mechanism, so that the links thereof, though of lighter section, are of ample strength and furthermore prevent undue longitudinal movement and strain during the operation of reversal.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the preferred embodiment of each feature of my invention in application, as an example, to a reversible day and night couch bed, I

Fig. 1 represents a perspective view of a couch arranged for day use; Fig.2 represents YORK, Y., Assicavoa 'ro snvn-anooixrrunnironn MANU no, or new YORK,- 1v. Yu, A

in perspectiveon an enlarged scale, but

partly broken away, the spring-supporting sections reversed on the base for use as a SlIlagainst relative movement from collapsed position; Fig 6 represents, in perspective on an enlarged scale and brokenaway, the abutment atone end ofthe collapsible section for supporting it in extended position from the other section; Figs. 7 and 8 represent. end elevations of the reversing mechanism when the spring-supporting sections are respecvertical position during reversal and in seated position; andFig. 9 represents a top elevation of the guiding and restraining meansfor'the reversing links. v j.

The couch bed comprises a base 1 with legs 2, an upholstered back 3, and adjustable end or head pieces 4: of any suitable kind such as shown in my Patent No. 1,334,365, granted March 23, 1920.

The two spring-supporting sections comprise the section 5 seated on the base 1 and a relatively collapsible section 6 carrying pillow supports 7 with latches 8. These two spring-supporting sections, when collapsed, are reversible on the base 1 by means of any suitable reversing mechanism such as thatdescribed hereinafter, so that the upholstered seating surface of the section 5 may be exposed to'form the day couch of Fig. 1, and so that when reversed the relatively c'ollapsible section 6 may be extended to form the juxtaposed spring-supporting section lying in substantially the same plane, as shown in Fig. 3.

Pivoted to the cross bar 9 at each end of the collapsible section 6, is a retractible leg 10 which is loosely connected by a lever 11 to the outer end of the bell crank lever 12, said lever 12 being pivoted at 13 to the cross bar 9 and at 14 to the other section 5. The tail l5 ofthe bell crank lever 12 is connected by a coil spring-16 to the tail 17 of the lever 18, which is pivoted at 19 to section 5 and at 20 to the section 6. As a result of this construction, not only is the collapsible section 6 guided in movements of substantial parallel translation relatively to the section 5 between the superposed position shown in Fig. 2 and the juxtaposed position shown in Fig. 3, as described in further detail in connection with the embodiment shown particularly in Figs. 6 to 10 of my aforesaid Patent N 0. 1,381,293, but the retractible legs 10 are so actuated by the levers 12 that in collapsing the sections, the legs 10 are retracted from their downwardly depending position for supporting the section 6 to the unobtruding position alongside the cross bars 9.

Riveted or otherwise attached to the cross bar 9 at each end of the collapsible section 6 is an angle iron 21, or other suitable form of abutment, adapted to rest on the lever 12 when the collapsible section 6 is fully extended, thereby supporting at each end' the rear of the'collapsible section.

The section 6 has pivoted to its front stringer 22 a bar 23 notched at two or more places as at points 24 and 25, whereas the other section 5 has fastened to its front stringer 26 a pin 27 adapted to engage in one of the notches in the bar 23, the spring 28 acting to hold the bar in locked position. The section 5 also carries a bent member 29 serving to form a' handle for reversing the two sections 5 and 6 when collapsed. The

plurality of notches provides means for holding the two sections against relative movement from collapsed position irrespecends of said sections tion when the tive, as a practical matter, of the thickness of the bedding between them.

As more fully described in my aforesaid Patent No. 1,381,293, the reversing mechanism comprises the links 30'pivoted on the pivot 31 carried by the section 5. These links are jointed at 32 to bell crank levers 33 which are pivoted at 34k to the base 1 and have their tails 35 connected to coil springs 36. These springs have their other ends at tached to the base, through tension adjusters if desired, and are so arranged in relation to the reversing mechanism that when the section 5' is seated on the base 8), the springs are extended and when the section 5 attains the vertical position (Fig. 7), the springs are unstressed, thereby assisting the raising of the section and opposing its fall during the reversal of the couch bed.

During reversal, the section 5, and the extensible section it carried by it, may tend to sway longitudinally, particularly if the reversing mechanism is not extremely strong against that movement. The bent strap fastened to the base at the three points 38 guides and restrains the reversing mechanism' so as to reduce this tendency to the minimum and thereby not only makes the during reversal reversing operation smoother and easier, but

also makes it possible to use lighter links in the reversing mechanism.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim is: i T i In a couch bed, a spring-supporting secsupporting section, pairs of bell crank levers connected to pivotal points of the respective section, relatively to t e other section, in movements of substantial parallel translasection is changed, and retractible legs connected to the collapsible section and actuated by said bell crank levers.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

JOHN FREEMAN.

to uide said collapsible position of said collapsible 

